Since releasing Android 15 in September, the Android improvement crew has been arduous at work on the following main launch, and at this time it’s asserting the primary developer preview for Android 16.
In line with the crew, this launch marks the beginning of a sooner launch cycle for Android APIs. Beforehand, the main API launch would occur in Q3, however subsequent yr it’s going to occur in Q2. This higher aligns with the gadget launch schedule and can enable extra gadgets to get the Android launch sooner, the crew defined.
Because of the API being launched earlier, the Android crew recommends builders do compatibility testing a number of months earlier to make sure apps are prepared in time.Â
After the Q2 launch, there shall be one other main API launch in This fall that may embrace developer APIs and have updates, optimizations, and bug fixes, however gained’t embrace new conduct adjustments that will have an effect on apps.Â
Moreover, there’ll nonetheless be quarterly Android releases, and the Q1 and Q3 updates that come between the API releases will embrace incremental updates, the Android crew defined.Â
By way of new options within the working system itself, new additions to Android on this developer preview embrace:Â
- The power to embed the photograph picker into an app’s view hierarchy, in order that customers can choose media while not having to supply an app with overly broad permissions
- Help for well being data in Well being Join
- The most recent model of the Privateness Sandbox on Android
The Android improvement crew additionally shared that it hopes to attain platform stability by March 2025 to offer app builders loads of time to check their apps earlier than the ultimate launch, usually in late summer time or early fall.